Archives For
Kelley Owens

I would wake with a lump in my throat, happy that she had finally found “the one”, and broken hearted that my little redheaded angel, lovingly known as “sister”, would no longer be found in the crib but all grow’d up, in the arms of her love.

I would spend the day reminiscing of times when she was a baby. I would think about when we brought her home, the look on her brothers faces when they first laid eyes on her, and the many family trips we took together. I would be overwhelmed with emotion and probably be a crying mess, because that’s what having a little girl had done to me.

I would shake a little as I put on my tuxedo. I would rehearse the steps for the father/daughter dance in my mind. I would be left breathless when seeing her in her wedding gown for the first time. I would savor every measured step, with her hand in mine, as we walked down the aisle.

What does that mean, you may ask? Am I a professionally trained knife fighter? No. Do I strategically place weapons around my house in the event of an incursion (ala Dwight Schrute)? Perhaps. Did I start taking iceskating lessons as a young lad by a hard-nosed Canadian minor league hockey coach which lead to me denying my first love and the sport of my youth. Um…NO!

The meaning is two fold.

First of all, I am a hairy man.

When I was a baby faced naive at the age of 17, I remember asking the Lord to allow me to grow facial hair so that I would not look like a 13yr old. I’ve often tried to break that self imposed word curse over the years that has lead to me sowing greatly into the likes of “Gillette”, “The Art of Shaving”, and badger hair…yep…badger hair.

Due to this fascinating rate of facial hair growth, my face has been very accustomed to the feeling of blades (usually four) coming across it…lest I become the urban duck commander.

Every now and then I like to grow out the beard to a nice frothy length or at least until Kelley threatens to never kiss me again. When I take clippers and blades to such a beard, it’s amazing the sense of accomplishment that can result. You can SEE the transformation in a matter of minutes. My favorite is to shave my face, add a little moisturizer, and then go to Kelley so she can populate the cleared space with kisses that seem to say…well done my good and faithful…husband.

This is the kind of cutting that is easy. I control the shave. I get a quick result. Myself and others can SEE the change immediately. The reward is quick but short lived.

Then there is the second kind of “blade work”. One that I am equally familiar with, but has an infinitely greater weight to it.

This kind of cutting is what I call internal pruning. It’s the kind of cutting that God uses to make us exponentially more fruitful in the long run. It’s the kind of cutting that is often beyond our control if done properly. It’s the kind of cutting that will undeniably change me, but the quality of transformation will ultimately be tested and confirmed over time. It’s the kind of cutting that a few may notice, a couple may recognized, and most will never see. However, it is more real than anything that will ever happen on the surface.

WE’VE BEEN SO EXCITED to receive such great feedback from our “LOOK AT ME NOW (MOM EDITION)” parody!!! Kelley and I so wanted this video to get out and encourage all the #freshlittlemoms (aka ALL MOMS) in their daily grind, stewardship, and joy! This video is a parody of a “cleaned up version” performed and produced by a duo called Karminof the Chris Brown song “Look At Me Now”. Their cover was an instant internet sensation with over 64 million views. We hope we can encourage as many mothers out there with our take on the song. This week I’ll be blogging about the amazing moms in my life, but for now here is the music video. If you’re a mom BE ENCOURAGED. If you have a mom PLEASE SHARE THIS AND ENCOURAGE YOUR MOM. Also, due to many requests, I am including the lyrics below. Peace.